JP2001048351A - Cup feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotary cup feeder that is of a front replenishment type allowing replenishment of columns of cups from the front face of its casing, and that facilitates replenishment of columns of cups without trouble even into a replenishment space in the back of the casing. SOLUTION: Each partition plate 11a, 11b, 11c is relatively turnable on a pivot 6 and is locked for disengagement by a lock mechanism. For replenishment of a column of cups C into a replenishment space B2 in the back of a casing 1, the partition plates 11a to 11c are unlocked and then turned on the pivot 6 to the front side of the casing 1 to reveal the replenishment space B2 in the back of the casing 1 to a front opening 2 of the casing 1, which enables the replenishment of the column of cups C into the back replenishment space B2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup supplying apparatus for accommodating a large number of cups used in, for example, an automatic tea dispenser, and discharging and supplying the cups one by one based on a predetermined signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As this kind of cup supply apparatus, there is generally known a structure in which a plurality of cup rows, which are formed by laminating a plurality of cups one above the other, are arranged side by side in a case.

In this type of cup supply device, a long mounting portion is provided in a case, and a plurality of cup rows are mounted in parallel on the mounting portion. The end of the mounting section is a discharge section, and a cup discharge mechanism is provided in this discharge section, and a cup row arranged in the discharge section is supported by the cup discharge mechanism, and the cup is switched every time a predetermined signal is input. The lowermost cups in the row are sequentially 1 by the operation of the cup discharge mechanism
They are separated and discharged one by one.

When the number of cups in the cup row arranged in the discharge section decreases below a certain level, the cup row placed on the placing section is transported to the discharge section by the transport mechanism and replenished. The cup row is supported by the cup support mechanism and waits for its discharge.

When there is no longer a row of cups to be placed on the placement section due to replenishment to the discharge section, the door on the front of the case is opened, and a plurality of cup rows are refilled on the placement section in the case.

However, in such a cup supply apparatus in which cup rows are stored side by side in a horizontal manner, the case is horizontally long, and a wide space must be secured when installing the case.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, a rotary shaft c is provided vertically on the mounting portion b inside the case a, and a plurality of partition plates d1, d2, d3 is attached, one area between the partition plates d1, d2, and d3 is defined as a discharge section A, and the other areas are defined as replenishing sections B1 and B2.
A cup row C is arranged in each of the discharge section A and the replenishing sections B1 and B2, and each time the cups in the cup row C of the discharge section A decrease below a certain value as the cup is discharged, the rotating shaft c is driven by a motor (not shown). ), A rotary cup supply device is provided in which the cup rows C of the replenishing sections B1 and B2 are sequentially conveyed to the discharge section A by this rotation. The case a has a box shape with an open front,
A horizontally opening door e is rotatably attached to the opening on the front surface.

[0008] In such a rotary cup supply device, there is an advantage that the case a does not become horizontally long, and therefore it can be installed even in a space portion having a relatively narrow width.

[0009]

In such a rotary cup feeder, a replenishing section B at the front of the case a is provided.
When 1 becomes empty, the door e on the front of the case a can be opened to replenish the replenishing section B1 with the cup row C.

However, the replenishing portion B2 on the back side of the case a
Is empty, the partition plate d2 is in the way, and it is not possible to replenish the replenishing portion B2 with the cup row C from the front of the case a.

Therefore, in this case, first, the cup row C is replenished to the replenishing portion B1 on the front side of the case a, and from this state, the rotating shaft c is manually rotated by one pitch, and the front portion is rotated via the partition plate d1. The cup row C in the refilling section B1 on the side is fed into the refilling section B2 on the back side, and the cup row C is refilled in the refilling section B1 on the front side which has become empty.

In this case, if the cup row C is not arranged at the discharge section A or is reduced to a certain value or less, the rotating shaft c is rotated integrally with the partition plate d1 to rotate the replenishing section B1 on the front side. Although it is possible to feed the cup row C to the replenishing section B2 on the back side, usually, a certain number or more of cups are arranged in an overlapping manner at the discharge section A to wait for the discharge, so that the rotating section is rotated. It is difficult to rotate the shaft c integrally with the partition plate d1, and after all, it is not possible to refill the cup row C in the back side refilling section B2 unless the cup row C of the discharge section A is once removed. Will be.

Therefore, if the upper surface of the case is opened and a door is provided in this opening, the cup row can be easily replenished to the replenishing portion on the back side of the case. It is installed at the level position near the shoulder of the refilling operator, and therefore, when the method of refilling the cup row from the upper surface of the case is used, the refilling operation becomes considerably troublesome and troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point. An object of the present invention is to provide a front replenishment system capable of replenishing a cup row from the front of a case, and to the back of the case. An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary cup supply device that can easily replenish a cup row to a replenishing unit on the side without any trouble.

[0015]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve such an object, a rotating shaft which rotates in conjunction with a driving source is provided on a mounting portion in a case having an open front surface. A plurality of partition plates are radially provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft, and a cup row formed by laminating a plurality of cups is stored and arranged in a region above the mounting portion between the partition plates. One is a discharge section, and the other area is a replenishing section. The discharge section is provided with a cup discharge mechanism that separates and discharges the cups of the cup row one by one. In the cup supply device in which the drive shaft is driven by the drive source and the rotary shaft rotates integrally with each of the partition plates and the row of cups in the replenishing section is conveyed toward the discharge section each time is reduced to a certain value or less, The plate is provided rotatably with respect to the rotation axis. In addition, a lock mechanism is provided between each partition plate and the rotating shaft to lock each partition plate in a detachable manner with respect to the rotating shaft. When the rotation shaft decreases and the rotation shaft rotates, each partition plate rotates integrally with the rotation shaft by locking by the lock mechanism, and when refilling the cup row to the refill portion on the back side of the case, lock the partition plate. By removing the partition plate and rotating it toward the front side of the case with respect to the rotation axis, the refilling part on the back side of the case is opened to the opening on the front side of the case, and the cup for the refilling part on the back side is opened. It is characterized in that the replenishment of rows is enabled.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows the overall appearance of the cup supply device.
FIG. 2 shows the internal structure, wherein 1 is a case. The case 1 has a box shape having an opening 2 on the front surface, and a door 3 is rotatable on one side edge of the opening 2 on the front surface. The opening 2 is opened and closed by the door 3. A cup outlet 4 is formed at a lower portion of one side surface of the case 1.

A mounting portion 5 composed of a horizontal base plate is provided inside the case 1, and a rotating shaft 6 is provided vertically on the mounting portion 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating shaft 6 is rotatably supported between the mounting portion 5 and the ceiling plate 1a of the case 1 via bearings 7 and 8. A transfer motor 9 as a drive source for driving the rotating shaft 6 is attached to the lower surface of the mounting section 5.

A plurality of, for example, first, second, and third partition plates 11a, 11b, and 11c are provided around the rotary shaft 6, and these partition plates 11a, 11b, and 1c are provided.
The first, second, and third three fixed rings 12a, 12b, 1 are respectively provided on the upper and lower portions of the rotary shaft 6 corresponding to 1c.
2c are provided at predetermined intervals. The fixing rings 12a, 12b, and 12c are respectively attached to the rotating shaft 6 so as to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 6.

On the upper and lower sides of one side edge of the partition plates 11a, 11b, 11c, fitting cylinders 13 are integrally formed by winding and bending, respectively, and these fitting cylinders 13 rotate around the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 6, respectively. The rotary shaft 6 is freely movably fitted in the axial direction so that the partition plates 11a, 11b, and 11c are radially arranged around the rotary shaft 6.
It is connected to.

The fitting cylinder 1 provided on the first partition plate 11a
3 is a first shaft attached to the upper and lower portions of the rotating shaft 6.
Of the second partition plate 11b
Is arranged on the second fixing ring 12b attached to the upper and lower portions of the rotating shaft 6, and the fitting cylinder 13 provided on the third partition plate 11c is It is arranged on a third fixing ring 12c attached to the upper and lower parts of the shaft 6.

The first, second, and third fixing rings 12a, 12b, and 12c attached to the lower portion of the rotary shaft 6
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, notch grooves 15 cut in the axial direction from the upper surface thereof are formed. Board 1
It is formed on the side edge of 1a, 11b, 11c. These engaging portions 16 are connected to the lower ends of the fitting cylinders 13 on the lower side of the respective partition plates 11a, 11b, 11c.
It is formed on the side edge of 11b, 11c.

First, second and third partition plates 11a, 11
The engaging portions 16 of the b, 11c and the cutout grooves 15 of the first, second, and third fixing rings 12a, 12b, 12c are capable of engaging and disengaging the partition plates 11a, 11b, 11c with respect to the rotating shaft 6. FIG.
As shown in (A), each partition plate 11a, 11b, 11c
When the engaging portion 16 of each of the partitioning plates 16 enters and engages with the notch groove 15 of each of the fixing rings 12a, 12b, 12c,
1a, 11b, and 11c are locked to the rotating shaft 6, and the partition plates 11a, 11b, and 11c rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 6.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), each partition plate 11a, 11b, 11c is pushed upward to separate the engaging portion 16 from the cutout groove 15 of each of the fixing rings 12a, 12b, 12c. By releasing the lock, the partition plates 11a, 11b,
11c can be freely rotated around the axis of the rotation shaft 6.

Normally, each partition plate 11a, 11b, 1
1c is engaged with its corresponding fixing ring 12a, 1c.
2b and 12c are engaged in the cutout grooves 12 and are held in a locked state. Under this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the partition plates 11a, 11b and 11c are maintained at substantially equal intervals from each other. It is arranged radially on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 6.

Then, each partition plate 11a, 11b, 11c
The upper portion of the mounting portion 5 is partitioned into three regions by the above, and of these regions, the region facing the opening 2 on the front surface of the case 1 is the first replenishing portion B1 and the rear side of the case 1 in FIG. The area on the right side is the second replenishing section B2, and the area on the left side in FIG.
The cup row C is arranged in each of the replenishing unit B1, the second replenishing unit B2, and the discharging unit A.

In the discharge section A, as shown in FIG.
A discharge port 19 is formed in the mounting portion 5, a chute 20 is provided below the discharge port 19, and a cup discharge mechanism 21 is provided at a lower end of the chute 20. The discharge motor 22 is connected. Then, the cup row C disposed in the discharge section A passes through the chute 20 from the discharge port 19 and the cup discharge mechanism 21.
Has been introduced.

The cup discharging mechanism 21 supports the lower part of the cup row C, and cuts off the lowermost one cup C 'of the cup row C for every one operation under the control of the discharging motor 22 to thereby lower the lower part. It is designed to drop into the cup outlet 4.

An operation button 25 is provided on the side surface of the case 1 above the cup outlet 4. Each time the operation button 25 is operated with a fingertip, the cup discharge mechanism 21 is discharged via the discharge motor 22. The discharge unit A is driven by this drive.
Are supplied to the cup outlet 4 one by one.

On one side of the chute 20, there is provided a detector 26 for detecting a break in the cup. The cups C 'of the cup row C at the discharge section A are sequentially discharged, and the number of cups C' of the cup row C is reduced. When the number is reduced to the number of pieces, this is detected by the detector 26 as a broken cup, and the information is displayed via a display lamp 29 provided as a display means provided on the side surface of the case 1 in response to the detection. Has become. When the detector 26 detects that the cup has run out, the detection motor drives the transport motor 9 to rotate the rotary shaft 6 by one pitch.

Further, the first replenishing unit B1 and the second replenishing unit B2 are provided with detectors 27 and 28 for detecting the presence or absence of the cup row C in these replenishing units B1 and B2.

FIG. 7 shows the structure of the control circuit.
Reference numeral 0 denotes a control unit having a built-in microcomputer. The operation button 25 and the detectors 26, 27, and 28 are connected to a signal input unit of the control unit 30, and the transport motor 9 and the discharge motor 22, The display lamp 29 is connected.

Next, the operation will be described.

When the operation button 25 is operated, the signal is sent to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the discharge motor 22, and the discharge motor 22 drives the cup discharge mechanism 21.
By the operation described above, one cup C ′ at the lowermost end of the cup row C of the discharge section A is discharged and supplied to the cup outlet 4.

As described above, every time the operation button 25 is operated as required, the cup discharging mechanism 21 is operated and the discharging section A is operated.
Are supplied to the cup outlet 4 one by one. And the cup C 'of the cup row C of the discharge section A
When the number decreases to several, this is detected by the detector 26 as a cup break, a signal is sent to the control unit 30, and in response to this, the display lamp 29 is turned on once and the control unit 30 The motor 9 is controlled, and the rotation shaft 6 is rotated by １ ／ rotation, that is, one pitch in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

By the rotation of the rotary shaft 6 by one pitch, the cup row C disposed in the second replenishing section B2 is pushed by the partition plate d2 and is sent to the discharge section A, and is further transmitted to the first replenishing section B1. The second replenishing unit B in which the placed cup row C is empty
It is sent to 2. Each cup row C slides on the placing section 5 and moves from the second replenishing section B2 to the discharge section A and from the first refilling section B1 to the second refilling section B2.

The cup row C sent to the discharge section A is introduced into the discharge port 19, falls on the cup row C remaining in the cup discharge mechanism 21, and overlaps, thereby clearing the breakage of the cup. , The display lamp 29 goes out. Then, according to the operation of the operation button 25, the cups C 'of the cup row C in the discharge section A are sequentially discharged one by one. Further, the cup row C of the first replenishing unit B1 is changed to the second replenishing unit B2.
When the first replenishing unit B1 is emptied and becomes empty, this is detected by the detector 27.

When the number of cups C 'in the cup row C of the discharge section A decreases again below a certain level and the detector 26 detects that the cup has run out, the signal is sent again via the control section 30 by the signal. The motor 9 is driven to rotate the rotating shaft 6 by one pitch in the counterclockwise direction. With this rotation, the cup row C disposed in the second replenishing section B2 is moved to the partition plate d.
1 and is fed into the discharge section A, and the fed cup row C is introduced into the discharge port 19, falls onto the cup row C remaining in the cup discharge mechanism 21, and overlaps.
Wait for ejection.

In this state, the first replenishing unit B1 and the second replenishing unit B2 are in an empty state where no cup row is arranged, and this is detected by the detectors 27 and 28.

Then, the discharge of the cups C 'of the cup row C in the discharge section A further proceeds, and the number of cups C' remaining in the discharge section A decreases to a certain value or less. In this case, the display lamp 29 is turned on, and the replenishment of the cup row C is prompted.

Accordingly, the cup row C is refilled in the case 1 in response thereto. FIG. 8A shows a state when the first and second replenishing units B1 and B2 are empty.
In this state, since the rotating shaft 6 has been rotated by two pitches from the state shown in FIG. 2, the partition plate 11c is in the second replenishing section B2.
, The partition plate 11b has shifted to the position of the first replenishing unit B1.

When refilling the cup row C, FIG.
As shown in (B), first, the door 3 on the front of the case 1 is opened, and the opening 2 is opened. Here, the first replenishing unit B1 faces the front surface of the case 1 and thus the first replenishing unit B1
Can be replenished with the cup row C from the front of the case 1, but the partition plate 11c blocks the second replenishing portion B2 on the back side of the case 1 to refill the cup row C. Can not do.

Therefore, when refilling the cup row C, first, the partition plate 11b disposed on the front surface of the case 1 is pushed upward, and the engaging portion 16 of the partition plate 11b is
b, and the lock between the partition plate 11b and the rotating shaft 6 is released. Then, the partition plate 11b is rotated toward the front side of the case 1 about the rotation shaft 6 and moved to the left inner side in the case 1.

Next, the partition plate 11c, which is arranged on the right side inside the case 1, is pushed upward, and the partition plate 11c is pushed upward.
c is disengaged from the notch groove 15 of the fixing ring 12c, the lock between the partition plate 11c and the rotary shaft 6 is released, and the partition plate 11c is rotated about the rotary shaft 6 to rotate the partition plate 11c into the case 1. To the far left side of.

As a result, the second replenishing portion B2 on the back side in the case 1 is opened to the front side of the case 1, so that the opening 2 on the front surface of the case 1 does not hinder the second replenishing portion B2 at all. It becomes possible to refill the cup row C.

After the cup row C is replenished to the second replenishing part B2, the partition plate 11c disposed on the left rear side in the case 1 is rotated to the front side to rotate the right rear side. Move to Then, the engaging portion 16 of the partition plate 11c is aligned with the corresponding notch groove 15 of the fixing ring 12c, and in this state, the partition plate 11c is pulled down along the rotating shaft 6, and the engaging portion 1
6 is inserted into the cutout groove 15. Thereby, the partition plate 11c
Is locked to the rotating shaft 6 and is in the initial state.

Thereafter, the cup row C is replenished to the first replenishing portion B1 from the opening 2 on the front surface of the case 1. Then, the partition plate 11b disposed on the left inner side in the case 1 is rotated to the front side and moved to the right inner side. Then, the engaging portion 16 of the partition plate 11b is aligned with the corresponding notch groove 15 of the fixing ring 12b.
Is pulled down along the rotating shaft 6, and the engaging portion 16 is
Inside. As a result, the partition plate 11b is locked to the rotating shaft 6, and returns to the initial state.

When refilling the first replenishing section B1 with the cup row C, the partition plate 11b is rotated to the front side and locked to the rotating shaft 6 before refilling, and after the locking, the first refilling section B1 is locked. It is also possible to replenish the cup row C to the replenishment part B1 of the above.

On the other hand, in such a rotary cup supply device in which the cup row C is arranged around the rotary shaft 6, the width of the case 1 can be reduced, and therefore, the space portion having a small width can be used. The case 1 can be easily installed without any trouble. Since the cup row C is replenished from the front of the case 1, the replenishment of the cup row C into the case 1 can be performed easily and efficiently.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In addition to the front-side replenishment method capable of replenishing the cup row from the front of the case, the cup row can be easily and efficiently replenished to the replenishing portion on the back side of the case without any trouble.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of a cup supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view showing the internal structure of the cup supply device.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a main part of the cup supply device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing a part of a main part of the cup supply device.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a discharge unit of the cup supply device.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the cup supply device.

FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view for explaining the operation of the cup supply device.

FIG. 9 is a plan sectional view showing the structure of a conventional cup supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Case 2 ... Opening part 3 ... Door 4 ... Cup outlet 5 ... Placement part 6 ... Rotating shaft 9 ... Transport motor 11a, 11b, 11c ... Partition plate 12a, 12b, 12c ... Fixing ring 15 ... Notch groove 16 ... Engaging part 21... Cup discharging mechanism 22.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotary shaft that rotates in conjunction with a drive source is provided on a mounting portion in a case having an open front surface, and a plurality of partition plates are radially provided on an outer periphery of the rotary shaft. A cup row formed by stacking a plurality of cups is stored and arranged in an area above the mounting section between the plates, one of these areas is a discharge section, and the other remaining area is a refill section, The discharge unit is provided with a cup discharge mechanism that separates and discharges the cups of the cup row one by one, and each time the number of cups of the cup row disposed in the discharge section decreases below a certain level, the cup is driven by a drive source to rotate the rotating shaft. In the cup supply device in which the cup row in the replenishing unit is rotated integrally with each of the partition plates and conveyed toward the discharge unit, each partition plate is provided rotatably with respect to the rotation axis, Rotate each partition between each partition and the rotating shaft A lock mechanism is provided for locking the shaft so that it can be disengaged from each other. When the number of cups in the cup row arranged in the discharge section decreases below a certain level and the rotating shaft rotates, each partition plate is locked by the locking mechanism, and When the cup row is replenished to the refill part on the back side of the case, the partition plate is unlocked and the partition plate is rotated toward the front side of the case with respect to the rotation axis. A cup supply device characterized in that a replenishing portion on the back side of the case is opened to the opening on the front surface of the case to enable replenishment of the cup row to the replenishing portion on the back side.